But according to the website of the Fromagerie Montebello, the cheese factory started last year by Alain Boyer and Guy Boucher in Montebello village, the “Manche” actually refers to the European sea inlet between France and England. It does not appear to borrow its name from the famous aged sheep’s milk cheese — Manchego — made in the La Mancha region of Spain. Au contraire, it’s a very “local” story.

The factory website states: “This arm of the sea separates and unites at the same time the two countries that have colonized Lower and Upper Canada in the old days. The word “Manche” refers to those two countries that are part of our past. It also reminds us of the importance of our great Outaouais River that also separates and unites Quebec and Ontario.”